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Palm Beach Gardens program gives disabled kids opportunity to play

Palm Beach Gardens program gives disabled kids opportunity to play

Cameran Wallace (right) gives a high five to Elizabeth Berkowitz during a water break at TOPsoccer practice. (The Outreach Program for Soccer) cheer at the end of their soccer practice on Monday night.

PALM BEACH GARDENS

Despite temperatures in the 50s Monday night, more than two dozen young soccer players laced up their cleats for a 90-minute practice session at the Burns Road Soccer Complex.

The athletes and about 30 volunteer coaches were at the field for the second of eight TOPSoccer training sessions conducted by the Palm Beach Gardens Youth Athletic Association.

TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a national, community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, organized by youth soccer association volunteers.

The program is designed to teach soccer to boys and girls with mental or physical disabilities.

“It’s an outlet for them to play sports,” PBGYAA incoming President Damien Murray said.

The PBGYAA debuted its 8-week TOPSoccer program Oct. 22. The program is free and draws about 24 kids ages 8-17 to the Burns Road Soccer Complex on Monday nights.

In addition, more than 30 middle school and high school-age volunteers serve as ‘buddies’ to help train the athletes. Each buddy is assigned to an athlete and works with that athlete for the duration of the program, Murray said.

“They get the same buddy every week,” said Murray, who worked with children’s advocate Elizabeth Berkowitz to organize the program. “That’s the real key to it, that they make friends with their buddies.”

The program has received an enthusiastic response from parents.

“I just like that its physical activity for our kids with special needs,” said Shelly Hedge, a Jupiter resident whose 17-year-old son, Collin, has participated in a TOPSoccer program in Boca Raton for the past four years.

“They need 1-on-1. My son does. You can’t find that in other programs. There’s a lot of time invested in the kids and families by the volunteers and the coaches. I think it’s amazing.”

Victoria Berardesco’s 10-year-old son, Hunter, eagerly joined his TOPSoccer teammates on the field Monday.

“Hunter has Down Syndrome, so he’s limited as far as sports,” Berardesco said. “He can’t play with typical teammates, so this gives him the opportunity to learn soccer and play in the same setting where they’re teaching him skills.”

Luis Gajardo, an assistant men’s soccer coach at Florida Atlantic University, runs the PBGYAA TOPSoccer program. He works closely with the buddies and athletes during each training session.

“He does a lot of drills,” Murray said. “He gets them running and having fun.”